1998

Put shaks-73 biografy pw=rarmin
S H A K S P E R
Shakespeare Electronic Conference
Member Biographies - Volume 75
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*McCluskey, Peter M. <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Peter M. McCluskey, an Instructor of English at the University of New
Orleans, received his PhD from the University of Arkansas in 1998. His
dissertation, "'The Strangers' Case': Representations of Flemish
Immigrants in Renaissance English Drama, 1515-1635," explores how early
modern dramatic representations of Netherlandic peoples shaped and were
in turn shaped by native English attitudes toward refugees and
immigrants from the Low Countries, who comprised England's largest
foreign population. At the University of New Orleans, Dr. McCluskey
teaches three different Shakespeare courses, as well as introductory
literature and writing courses. His other scholarly interests include
Milton and Middle English literature.
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*Carlson, Jerry <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
As my title suggests, I'm not a full-time (or much of a part-time, for
that matter) Shakespearean scholar - just a layman who has enjoyed his
plays ever since my real introduction to them (i.e., not counting Mr.
Magoo's version of _A Midsummer Night's Dream_) 22 years ago by a high
school English teacher who had played football and _Othello_ at Notre
Dame (and who I've subsequently enjoyed watching as Falstaff and as
Bottom in a community theater group back home - Genesius Guild - that
specializes in Shakespeare and classical plays). I've done a bit of
acting myself in some of the plays - Philostrate in _Dream_, Grumio in
_The Taming of the Shrew_ (one of my peaks as an actor), and most
recently Valentine and the Priest in _Twelfth Night_. It was the last
production that inspired me, after a too-long hiatus, to read the entire
Canon again (the first time extended from my freshman year in high
school to my freshman year in college, in order of happening to run
across copies at garage sales or bookstores, plus a Christmas gift of
several Signet editions - my mother thought these would be easier to
carry around than the _Complete Works_ I'd suggested). A few of the
plays I've read or seen more than once as opportunity, inspiration, or
class assignments struck. This time around I'm trying to reintroduce
myself to the plays in the same order that his audiences probably first
met them; right now I have an act left of _Shrew_ to read before moving
on to _The Two Gentleman of Verona_. (Slight digession - It just struck
me yesterday as I was looking ahead at the list that he apparently wrote
three plays in a row - the third being _Romeo and Juliet_ - set at
least partially in Verona. Is there any significance to this?) My
last writing on Shakespeare would have been for a class I took at the
University of Iowa around 1983 which essentially regurgitated one of the
commentaries from the back of the Signet edition of _Henry IV, Part I_;
my only controversial theory, formulated one summer when I worked as a
janitor point during the Lost Years, as evidenced by the line "I have
come with broom before/To sweep the dust behind the door." I know I for
one never thought of the dust behind the door until I was hired to sweep
it out. What I hope to gain from the list is to pick up new (for me)
insights on what I've read or will read from those of you who spend so
much of your lives with the Bard, and perhaps to share a few of my own,
as they strike me, in the course of "informal discussions".
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Scott, Sarah K. <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
I am currently a PhD candidate in English. My interests are in
Renaissance England (drama+poetry, in particular) and late Medieval
England.
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*Rowland, Hilary <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
I am enrolled at McGill University, Dept. of English. I am just
finishing a doctoral dissertation on 19th century American Shakespeare
reception. My work concentrates mainly on study groups and American
editors. I received SHAKSPER at an old address some years ago, and would
like to re-subscribe at my current address.
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*Hamilton, Robert <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
A former recipient of an Eric Gregory Award, Robin Hamilton was born in
Ayrshire in 1947 and moved to Glasgow at an early age, where he later
became one of a powerful group of writers, including Liz Lochead, Tom
Leonard, Angus Nicolson, and Stephen Mulrine, who emerged there in the
early sixties. He currently teaches at Loughborough University [he
retired this year]. Widely published in magazines and small press
pamphlets in Britain and the US . . . he emerges as a vital and
distrubing love poet, a bitter analyst of the human condition, but at
the same time one of the funniest and wittiest poets writing today.
Other poems in this volume manifest a subtle and acute intelligence
applied to the whole range of western culture and history. At once
accessible and demanding, Robin Hamilton is one of the most individual
voices in present-day English poetry. He also edited the second edition
of Patrides' Complete English Poems of John Donne after Dinos passed
away, and has done an anthology of 16th century poetry. He has a wealth
of knowledge to contribute to our discussions on this List, and will be
an invaluable asset to the group.
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*Prescott, Paul <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Paul Prescott is currently studying for a MA at the Shakespeare
Institute in Stratford-Upon-Avon (University of Birmingham). He
graduated from Oxford University in 1997 having read English Language
and Literature. His main field of interest is Shakespeare in
performance.
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*Martin, Christine <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
I am currently a post-graduate student at the Shakespeare Institute,
University of Birmingham and am doing the MA taught course. I have just
completed a Ba(Hons) degree at the University of Liverpool. My
interests lie in performance and I am particularly interested in film.
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*Hopkins, Mychelle <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Please accept my application for membership in SHAKSPER. My name is
Mychelle Hopkins and I am a postgraduate student in Shakespeare Studies
at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon. I am a theatre
professional with experience in acting, directing, producing and
administration. My specific interests include bad quarto texts with a
particular emphasis on Q1 Hamlet and A Shrew. Having directed the
Institute's production of Q1 Hamlet in 1996, I am anxious to give A
Shrew a go. I am a member of the Shakespeare Association of America and
a membership candidate for Actors Equity Association.
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*Hume, Barbara R.
I am currently the owner of a technical and business communications firm
called TechVoice, Inc., based in Orem, Utah. I arrived at this point
after earning a bachelor's in English from Radford University in 1964, a
master's in English literature from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and
State University in 1974, and an ABD Ph.D. in English literature and
language from Brigham Young University over the course of what felt like
a zillion years of scholarship and poverty. The major figure I
concentrated on for my doctoral exams was Dr. Johnson, because I am
quite interested in eighteenth-century British history. However, I
wrote my dissertation on Shakespeare. Its title is Smiling at Grief:
Shakespeare's Use of the Theme of Death in the Comedies. The work is
clearly a scholarly one, because the title contains a colon and the text
contains many paragraphs that are several pages long. The pedantic and
tortuous prose completely obscures the fact that I find it difficult to
take anything seriously.
After teaching on the university level for eleven years, I became
disillusioned with the elitist and reactionary politics of academia and
accepted a position with a growing computer company called Novell, Inc.
After four years in private industry, I became disillusioned with the
inhuman and degrading politics of corporate America. Fortunately, I had
also picked up a number of marketable skills. I have since been able to
parlay my wide-ranging abilities into a satisfying career as a business
owner and professional writer and editor.
During these years I have taught ballroom dancing, worked a PBX
switchboard, gotten married, borne two children, gotten divorced, lived
in Europe, published several books in totally unrelated fields, taught
English at two high schools and three universities, served as an editor
on a computer trade publication, and become the grandmother of six even
though I still feel seventeen if I don't look in the mirror. I've
written science fiction and attended several world science fiction
conventions. I've written a romance novel and many, many thrilling
technical articles with names like "Metadirectories and the Internet"
and "Operating System Migration: Preparing Your Company for the
Future."
I've been away from academia since 1985, but I've never lost my interest
in Shakespeare. Every year I attend the Utah Shakespeare Festival in
Cedar City, Utah, whose productions rival those of any professional
company. I hope through the SHAKSPER list to bring my knowledge of the
scholarship up to date, as well as become acquainted with many
interesting minds in the field. Given time, I may even regain the
ability to write pompous and stuffy prose for academic journals.
My Shakespearian interests remain with the comedies, particularly the
problem plays. I hope to familiarize myself with the writings of those
scholars currently dealing with Shakespeare's juxtapositions of light
and dark elements and the effects of such contrasts on his plays.
If you wish, I would be pleased to contribute a chapter or two from my
dissertation to the on-line archive.
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*Heil, Darren <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
It was in my 12th grade honors English class that I first: 1.) learned
to appreciate, and 2.) fall in love with Shakespeare's writing -
especially Hamlet, which (alongside Crime & Punishment) literally
*changed* my life. It's 10 years later & my passion has been renewed as
of late, largely due to Branagh's full version Hamlet movie. I am a
writer currently putting together a reference book of pseudonyms,
ghostwriters, anonymous works - everything in which the *actual* author
(or artist - as I include artists and those involved in movies/tv) goes
uncredited. It's been fun corresponding & talking with several of my
favorite writers - hundreds of them. In attempting to be as thorough as
possible - not to mention accurate - I've not placed any limits on time
or location of authors. This would benefit readers, book collectors,
students, scholars, and teachers. After 5-6 years, this book is very
near completion & it should be no surprise that I'm extremely interested
in the various views & opinions concerning the authorship of WS's
works.I'm 28, have been married 9 years (this Nov 3rd), have two
daughters (Lynne, 6 & Nicole, 4) & 1 son (Tristan, 2). Born & raised in
Nebraska. My wife joined the Navy (after *I* backed out) & we moved to
San Diego in 1992 (just reenlisted for 4 more years). I worked in a San
Diego bookstore for about six months but have now got the best job in
the world: write all day & be a "housedad." And, of course, study
Shakespeare. My schooling: only one semester years ago, but I've already
plans to attend a school in CA full time (Aug 1999) once this book has
been finished.
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*Ramseyer, Theresa <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
I am Theresa Ramseyer, a 28 year old who lives with her parents and
animals in the Midwest. I have the best "puppy" in the entire world,
and plenty of cats - each with its own personality. I make my living as
an accounts payable clerk at AmeriSource, one of the top three US
pharmaceutical wholesalers. I have a bachelor's degree in computer
science that's about 4 years old and basically obsolete. I am a closet
librarian and teacher - come from a long line of teachers. Love reading
- worked for 6 years at the local library, where I'd read just about
everything in the children's department and a lot of the adult's since I
was small. Now I invade my local college library most every Monday
night, when I sing in the Community Choir. I would really love to be a
professional researcher, but that seems to be a pipe dream. I also
substitute teach for my church's first grade SS class, and teach in the
KIDS Church program during service time. I would love to get back to
some of my other "likes" - such as playing my flute, cross stitch - a
very rank beginner, it just won't turn out!, and many more. I just need
more time! I love history and literature most. I spend hours reading,
studying, and posting answers to emails I receive. I am on a few lists,
but don't mind adding more! The one book that really got me turned on
to history and literature, especially Shakespeare, was _The Priceless
Gift_ by Cornelius Hirschberg. Wonderful book - I know if I dip into
it, I'll be lost to the world for a while. I may offend some people, but
I don't really care who wrote the plays. I'm bullheaded, impatient, a
procrastinator extradinaire, and a question-asker. Definitely the
latter. So far - I'm following the ordering in Hirschberg's book - I've
liked Hamlet and Macbeth the most. Romeo and Juliet are ok - no I
haven't seen the "current" movie. Othello did absolutely nothing for
me. I can't say about King Lear yet - that's the one I'm working on
now. I'm definitely not an "official" scholar - no papers! I write
some odds and ends, but usually fiction - and I never finish.
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*Torrent, Melanine <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
My name is Melanie Torrent.I am a student in English literature in
France(Paris III Sorbonne Nouvelle) and I have decided to work on
Shakespeare for my Masters this year. My topic is covering Carnival in
Henry 4 ant Dekker's Shoemaker's Holiday. At the moment I am spending
the year in Cambridge as a French lectrice as well.I am very much
interested in drama as a whole and I am fascinated by Shakespeare. I am
also studying the theme of desire in his works for a side course. I
would be really interested and happy to get as much information, ideas
and so on about all of this.
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*Dean, Stephanie <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
current interests: I am currently interested in Shax's historical/tragic
plays. I am primarily interested in historical accuracy/inaccuracy. In a
general sense I am interested in the settings as a reflection of how
things were in the period in which the action of the play happened.
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*Polniaszek, Stephen <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Amateur is the operative word. As a nonacademic administrator in the
Academy, my interest in Shakespeare is contained wholly within the realm
of personal intellectual pleasure. Although three decades have passed
since my acting days, a theatrical background still colors my reading
of the plays. I have acted in and directed scholastic productions,
staged readings, and have even written an unpublished children's play
telling a story of Sycorax-a prequel for THE TEMPEST. My re-reading of
the Shakespearean canon is ongoing with a current particular interest in
the Harvester-Wheatsheaf editions of the early Quarto versions. I have
recently joined the Malone Society to learn more about their
photofacsimiles and reprint editions of the Quartos. I do not pretend
to scholarship, but am interested in how these beautiful constructions
actually worked in their often-compressed contemporary performing
versions, and what that might teach us about seeing the works afresh on
today's stages.
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*Tibbetts, Ted <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
My name is Ted Tibbetts. Kenneth Rothwell suggested that I write to
you. I served under him as a teaching assistant at the University of
Vermont. Currently I teach English at Portland High School in Portland,
Maine. In addition to my regular teaching responsibilities I teach a
year long elective "Shakespeare: Text, Screen and Stage." In addition, I
am the faculty advisor for a student dramatic organization that performs
Shakespearean plays.
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*Lehman, Gretchen <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
I am doing a project for a computer applications class, in which I must
first choose a topic, then construct five questions, then ask people,
already with your service to answer them. It's a cool way to learn
about my favorite 15th century author, and learn about computers too. I
hope to join soon, and get started on my project.
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*Bailie, Heather <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Next semester I will be taking an introductory Shakespeare course.
Although I have studied Shakespeare in the past, I am joing this list
now to gain knowledge of the works that will be presented in this
class. We will be reading Hamlet, Macbeth, The Tempest, King Lear,
Taming, as well as an in depth study of his sonnets. Any help that I can
get will be greatly appreciated.
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*Kuo, Leslie <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
My name is Leslie Kuo. I am currently a sophomore in the English
Department, Wuhan University, China. Since I entered the University, I
have been playing an active role the Shakespearean Drama Society of
Wuhan University, due to my unquenchable interest in Shakespeare and his
masterpieces. The Society has a history of more than ten years and was
first established with the assistance of a very distinguished Ph.D. in
English Literature. In the past ten years, the Society has always
cherished it original goals-to foster the understanding of Shakespeare's
drama and other English plays. Intrigued by this Society, I signed up
and has been working hard for it. Last year I acted successfully as
Shylock in "The Merchant of Venice" and this winter I will be acting as
Romeo in the play "Romeo and Juliet" and the prep work for it is on the
way. In order to enlarge and deepen my understanding of this literary
giant and the whole English dramatic world, I am now willing to join
your mailing list.
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*Kozusko, Matt <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
I am a graduate student at the University of Georgia pursuing a Ph.D. in
English. My areas of specialization are Renaissance drama, Renaissance
non-dramatic lit., and rhetoric and theory, and as of fall 1998, I am
preparing for comprehensive exams. I am considering Shakespeare as the
centerpiece of my dissertation, though I have no fixed topic yet. I
have enjoyed teaching a few of the plays here in various English
courses, but I am even more fond of performance, having participated in
a handful of spirited productions at the University of Texas's
Shakespeare at Winedale. My interest in the internet grew out of an
unhealthy preoccupation with the pre-web usenet and an equally unhealthy
curiosity about unix. Either performance or computers-or both-will, I
hope, serve as alternative pursuits to teaching when I finish my degree.
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*Cooper, Roberta <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
I hold a PhD in dramatic literature from Northwestern University and my
book, The American Shakespeare Theatre; Stratford 1955-1985, was
published by the Folger Shakespeare Library (Associated University
Press). I was Director of Planning at the American Shakespeare Theatre
for five years and was at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York
University for nine, where I was Director of Alumni Affairs and
Recruitment and taught Shakespeare in Performance in the Drama Dept. I
am currently working at an organization that focuses on First Amendment
issues particularly free expression and censorship - keeping the world
safe for Shakespeare and other.
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*Goodling, Erik <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
My name is Erik Goodling. I am currently a student in the Upper Valley
Teacher Training Program, an alternative teacher certification program
based in Lebanon, NH, working on becoming a secondary English teacher.
I am also currently completing a practicum at Hanover High School in
Hanover, NH, teaching 9th through 12th grades. I hold a B.A. in
Philosophy and Literature from Bennington College; my thesis dealt with
the ethics and craft of L.N. Tolstoy, specifically his latter short
works. I have a great personal love for Shakespeare, and, in my
teaching, I need to cover several of his plays. For these and other
reasons, I would be interested in "listening" to as many conversations
as possible and asking questions whenever possible and relevant. I am
particularly fascinated with his use of language, and approaches to the
plays that make learning them, for students, as interesting as possible.
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*Fourmantchouk, Anatole <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Anatole Fourmantchouk, Ph.D. in directing (Russian Academy For Theatre
Art /GITIS/ 1995. ' Hamlet